The Shortest Distance
by Willow Edmond
Summary: May Devany-Parker might have been dumped by Seth Rollins, but a certain Show-Off is determined to help her get over him. (This is a sequel to Time for Me To Fly, but can be read independently of that. Thanks to WharfCoyote for the idea!)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes** **: This is a sequel to** ** _Time For Me To Fly._**

 **May Devany-Parker and Donna Duprey are my original characters. Any resemblance to anyone else, real or fictional, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

 **The Shortest Distance**

"Do they really expect us to _eat_ this?" Alicia asked, as she looked over the chaffing dishes set up in catering, a look of absolute loathing on her face.

Standing next to her, May Devany laughed. "I think so," she said, the laughter stopping, and tinge of sadness coming to her voice instead.

"When are we going to go to New York next?" Alicia grabbed one of the serving spoons and started aimlessly stirring at one of the dishes, trying to identify the ingredients used to make it. "I'd 'bout kill for your mom's roast chicken. _Please_ tell me I'm invited to dinner when we're there."

"Of course you are," May said, as she scooped some of the dish closest to her on to her plate. It contained pasta and some type of white meat. May wished it was pork, but it was most likely chicken. Catering food was a gamble in this business. Sometimes the catering companies contracted for the talent went out of their way to impress the wrestlers with their culinary skills, other times they just seemed to be going through the motions. If vision was any indication, this particular company would have to pull out the stops just to qualify for going through the motions. Half the dishes on the table looked like someone had thrown a bunch of canned vegetables, pasta and meat into a chaffing dish, then tossed canned soup on top of it, cream of mushroom, the soup of choice. "Although, Mom is talking about making lasagna this time."

"Oh god, do _not_ mention your Mom's lasagna when I am standing next to _this!"_ Paige moaned. She was standing on the other side of May, putting a tiny scoop of some pasta dish on her plate, Rotini from the looks of it, with stewed tomatoes for a sauce.

Again, May laughed. "Yes, Paige, you're invited too," she said, which made the pale woman smile.

"I'm glad you got the hint," the pale woman said, grinning down at May. "Because according to the itinerary passed out this morning, we'll be in your stomping grounds in a couple months."

"Ooh, that's great!" May exclaimed, moving down to the next dish, which was giving off an odor she couldn't recognize. She wisely decided to skip over it. "I'll check that and let Mom know." It was tradition in the WWE, when they were in New York, May's mother allowed May to invite anyone from the company over for dinner and Michelle Devany-Parker went all out to make sure anyone who came over was well fed for their troubles.

Squeals of delight came from both Paige and Alicia and a few others in the line, as they all marched forward, taking tiny bits of the food offerings, but none of it very enthusiastically.

There was a scuffling sound, punctuated by the occasional "Excuse me" coming from the back of the three girls, which they barely heard. Wrestlers cutting the lines was nothing new, sometimes time before the shows could be limited and full of other obligations, like greeting VIP guests or doing pre-show interviews. It was accepted by most that if someone was cutting the line, they had a valid reason for doing so, and while there were a few superstars, known to take advantage of this, most of the time, the system worked.

"Excuse me," a tanned man cut in front of Paige, so he was standing next to May. "Hey, short-stuff!"

May rolled her eyes, but laughed. "Hey, Dolph," she said, cheerfully, noting that Paige had not even offered a token protest, but had moved back to allow him in. "I see you're still _amazed_ by my height."

"Or, lack thereof," Dolph remarked. "Hey, I checked out the end of the line and there are sandwiches."

"Hah ha, very funny," May remarked, but there was no sting in her tone. She _was_ short, at barely five feet tall. Considering most divas and superstars were above the average height, her smaller stature was even more noticeable and she took the ribbing about it, with good humor. "If there are sandwiches further down, then why are you here?" May asked, now understanding why the line was moving so slow. When catering was horrible, sandwiches were the life blood. As long as they were made up just before serving, and hadn't sat around for hours, it was hard to ruin tuna salad, chicken salad, or any of the other salads that were good for sliding in-between bread.

"I wanted to warn you," Dolph said easily, "So you didn't fill your plate with this crap."

At that remark, Alicia and Paige snorted, loudly and obviously. "What's so funny?" May asked.

Alicia gave a long look from both Dolph, to May, then to Dolph again. "Oh," she said, her voice so deliberately casual it could only be taken as obvious, "Nothing, nothing at all! Don't mind us!" She reached behind both Dolph and May, and grabbed onto the sleeve of Paige's shirt, pulling her over towards her. May and Dolph stepped to allow Paige to cut in front of them. "We've got a match for the pre-show," Alicia said, again, her voice so casual that you just _knew_ something was up, "Maybe we need to sit together and discuss it."

"Why?" Paige said, looking puzzled. "We talked about-" She stopped abruptly, noting the look in Alicia's eyes as she kept looking at Dolph and May, then at Paige. Just to drive the point home, she gave a sigh. Paige hesitated, then realized what was going on and nodded. "Oh, right! We should work on that ending a bit, shouldn't we?" She turned to May and Dolph. "Don't mind us, we're just going to try to hurry through so we can, uhm, work out our match. You two have fun." Before May could even say good bye, the two girls started moving through the line, hurrying it along, leaving Dolph and May together.

"Now, what do you suppose _that_ was about?" May asked, frowning.

"Who knows?" Dolph said, but his voice implied that he _did_ know. "And what does it matter."

"Hmm." May looked at the dishes in front of her and then to Dolph. "Again, so if there are sandwiches ahead, why are you next to me? If you've got a meet and greet, you need to hurry."

"I don't _have_ a meet and greet," Dolph said, shrugging.

"So, I'm supposed to believe you checked out the line, then cut the line just to be next to me?" May tipped her head to one side, looking at him. "Should I be flattered?"

"Yes, you should," Dolph said firmly. "Absolutely."

"Are the two of you just going to _stand_ there?" A woman's voice said, sounding about as warm as a blizzard.

May visibly stiffened. "Sorry, Donna," she said. For a moment her shoulder's slouched, then as if remembering something, she straightened herself out and looked away from Dolph, away from the group, the three men and two women who had joined the line and obviously gotten ahead of everyone. She hurried up the line, skipping past the dishes, she wasn't really interested in them anyway, especially if there might be something better ahead.

"Relax, Duprey," Dolph said, moving to catch up with May. "None of this food is worth it." He motioned to the dishes, which seemed even more limp and lifeless with every passing second. "You've got the time."

"Speak for yourself, Ziggler," Donna said, her tone both dismissive and breezy, as if she did have all the time in the world, but none to spend on Dolph Ziggler. "We've got a meet and greet in an hour, and we're _starved!"_ She motioned to the little group, Seth, Dean, Roman and herself. Renee was standing at the end, and wasn't included in Donna's gesture, something that wasn't lost on Dolph or May, who waved to the blonde woman.

"Then why don't you cut in front of us?" May said, and while her voice was pleasant, you could see the tension in her face. She moved closer to the table, pulling Dolph with her. "There's nothing you want from this end and there are sandwiches up at the end."

"Sandwiches!" Dean said, looking up from the dish he'd been poking at with the spoon, and grinning. "C'mon!"

Renee laughed as the four of them walked around Dolph and May. "Sorry, Dean's a little cranky when he's hungry," she said to them, smiling softly at May.

" _Dean_ is fine," May said, smiling to the woman. "And so are you," she added, least the meaning of her words become lost. "I'll catch up with you later."

"If you're not too tired in the morning, maybe we can grab coffee?" Renee suggested.

May looked at Renee, Dean, then back to Renee. "I don't think _I'm_ the one that has to worry about being tired." She grinned.

Renee suppressed a giggle, then looked at both Dolph and May. "I wouldn't be so hasty, girlfriend." Then she turned and followed the group she was with.

When the group was out of earshot, Dolph smiled at May. " _That_ wasn't awkward."

"Heck no," May said with a snort, looking more and more relaxed the further away Donna and her group went. "And what did Renee mean by that last remark?"

"Who knows," Dolph said, his voice breezy and punctuating it with a dismissive wave of his hand, as if he was a little too eager to drop that line of conversation. Then, proving himself, he abruptly changed the subject. "Do you want to stand in this line?" he asked her.

"Not really," May admitted.

"Well then, allow me." He skillfully wove his way up the line, reaching the sandwiches, where Roman, Dean, Seth, and Donna were gathered, inspecting and taking from the huge pile. "Don't mind me," he said, clearly not caring if they _did_ mind, and started helping himself to several of the tiny sandwiches made in tiny two-bite rolls of bread.

"Hey, Ziggler, watch it!" Donna complained. "What's your hurry."

"Sorry!" Dolph said cheerfully, as he continued to load his plate with sandwiches and then grabbed a couple bags of chips that were stacked next to the sandwiches. He finished up by taking two bottles of water and tucking them under the arm he held the plate with. "I just remembered, I do have something _very_ important I have to do."

"Which is?" Donna asked, her expression showing she didn't believe for a moment that Dolph Ziggler had _anything_ that would be as important as she had.

"Take a beautiful woman to lunch," Dolph said. Still grinning, he walked back down the line to where May was standing and balancing the plate of sandwiches and the bags of chips in one hand, he casually draped his arm around her and steered her out of the line, "C'mon, Tiny Wrestler," he said, making reference to a joke that was between the two of them.

A few months earlier, when May had still been dating Seth Rollins, the three of them had ended up sharing a rental car to get to the next house show, for reasons no one could remember, but it had made perfect sense then. As they were traveling through the back roads, the only station they could get for awhile was a light rock station that seemed to think no one had produced any music since the late '80s. May had been secretly delighted, this was the type of music her mothers and aunts listened to, so it made her think of home. Seth had been disgusted, Dolph had been cutting up, making fun of most of the songs, but May could tell that for all his contempt, Dolph was a little _too_ familiar with the music. While she doubted Dolph listened to lite rock for fun, he clearly had known people who did, possibly his parents.

The song "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John had come on and Dolph had started singing along, slightly off key. At first, May had just giggled at the bad singing, but she soon realized he was changing the words:

 _Biz Cas baby, New York Lady, always been my biggest fan_

 _Big brown eyes, private smile, you'll marry a wrestling man_

 _Tiny Diva, oh, you must have seen her, wrestling on command_

 _Now she's with me, always with me, tiny wrestler in my hand_

Seth had interrupted to ask something, May forgot what it was, and she thought after that, Dolph was finished, but then it came to the chorus and he was singing his own words again:

 _Hold me closer, tiny wrestler_

 _Read the billboards on the highway_

 _Wanna play in sheets of cotton_

 _We'll be wrestling today_

She had stared at him, part of her shocked that he would sing a song about her, wanting to say something, but a little afraid that if she brought it up, Seth might get upset, Seth who so far, hadn't seemed to notice Dolph was making the words up to fit her. Why should Dolph be making up songs about her? Or, _rewriting_ the words to songs to fit her. But, it was late and they were all a little punch drunk, so she dismissed it as something he'd done just for fun.

But the nickname had stuck. And sometimes when he saw her he would sing it too. " _Hold me closer, tiny wrestler_." Seth had thought it was about the stupidest thing he'd ever heard, but secretly? She liked it. Secretly? She'd wished Seth has thought of it instead. But she knew that wouldn't happen. If Seth wrote songs about anyone, it would be Donna Duprey.

As if unable to resist, she looked back at the catering line, where Donna and Seth were finishing loading their plates with sandwiches and moving away.

"Hey, why do you want to look over there? The view is _much_ better this way," Dolph said, steering her to an empty table, where they both sat. "Handsome guy, right here."

May laughed as she took a seat across from him. "Don't think too much of yourself, do you?" she asked.

"Hey, I'm my own best advertising," Dolph remarked, putting the plate of sandwiches in the middle of the table. Easily, he picked up the plate May had started filling, the one she had still been clutching, and threw it in a trash can located behind them.

"How do you know I didn't want some of that?" May asked, still smiling.

"Because it sucks," Dolph said. "And we have _sandwiches._ " He motioned to the plate in the middle of the table.

"Hm..." May took one of the small sandwiches and looked at it, noting it appeared to be chicken salad. "I hope they make better sandwiches then other dishes."

"You should love these," Dolph said firmly.

"Why?"

"They're small," Dolph said, shrugging. "Tiny sandwiches, the food of your people." He grinned at her.

If it had been anyone else saying this, May might have been offended, but there was something about Dolph that told her all his short jokes were never serious, that he teased her about her height not to insult her, but because it was a way of showing he cared about her. She always had the feeling that if someone had started riding her about her height to be mean to her, Dolph would have been the first person to come to her defense. But, she couldn't just let him get away with it. "Really? Does _everything_ have to be about the height jokes with you?" she asked him.

"Hey, now, don't short change me," Dolph said, popping one of the sandwiches into his mouth and chewing.

May had been about ready to take another bite of her sandwich, but she stopped instead and stared at him. "Really? Seriously?"

He grinned as he swallowed the last of the sandwich and grabbed another one. "You don't like my jokes? Feeling a little short tempered today?"

May shook her head, not knowing if she should laugh or smack him. "Great, so that's what this whole lunch is about? Short jokes?"

"No." He shook his head. "Actually, I wanted to ask you a question, too." His grin became almost impish. "Don't worry, it's a short question."

"You're reaching on that one," she remarked, helping herself to one of the small bags of chips and opening it. "But please, go ahead and ask." She took a chip from the bag and bit into it.

"There's an all night IHOP nearby," Dolph said, and paused.

"That's not a question, that's a statement," May said, helping herself to another chip.

"Fine!" Dolph shook his head. "I'll get right to the point then, do you want to go with me tonight, after the show?"

"Sure," May agreed, wondering why he'd made a big deal out of that. "That sounds good, who else is going?" It was common for groups of wrestlers to go out after the show was over and with the catering being so bad here, it wasn't surprising that Dolph was already anticipating a group heading out for breakfast when the show was over for the night.

"You," Dolph said, no longer smiling, but looking at her. "And me."

May's brow furrowed for a moment, wondering why he would only want to ask her to go, when chances were most of the talent would be wanting to check the place out. She opened her mouth to say something to that affect, then stopped as she realized there was more on the table than just some sandwiches. "Are-" she began, hesitated, took a breath and blurted it out. "Are you asking me out? Like on a _date?"_

"Well, it's not a fancy little bistro, but this is kinda _short_ notice." Dolph said, grinning, but there was a nervousness to his grin, as if he was worried May would shoot him down.

"Uh," May stammered, putting down the bag of chips, and trying to buy herself some time. "I like IHOP," she finally said. _Great May,_ she thought, _Say something else stupid, why don't you?_

"I thought you did," Dolph said, "You can get a short stack."

May groaned. "More short jokes? _Really?"_

"If you say yes, I'll stop," Dolph said.

May looked around the room, reluctant to look at Dolph. Unfortunately, her gaze fell to the table where Donna, Seth, Roman, Dean and Renee were sitting. Donna had her head on Seth's shoulder and he was whispering something to her, the two of them looking like they were the happiest couple on earth. And Roman was smiling at the both of them like he couldn't be happier for both of them. _Two years,_ she thought, looking at the table and feeling slightly disgusted. _I dated Seth for two years, but all he wanted to do in that time was be with her again. I was_ _ **never**_ _good enough for him_.

"Hey, the guy waiting for the answer is right over here," Dolph joked, waving his hand.

She shook her head as if to chase out her thoughts and looked at him. "I-I'm sorry."

"Does that mean no?" Dolph asked, looking crestfallen.

"No, I mean yes, I mean," May closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get a grip on her thoughts. "Why?"

Dolph looked taken aback. "Why?" he repeated.

"Yeah," May looked down at the table, unwilling to look at him. "Why do you want to go out with me?"

"Wow," Dolph shook his head. "I'm not sure if you're insecure or fishing for compliments."

"Probably the first," May admitted, her voice soft. She traced the fake wood pattern of the table they were sitting at. "I mean, I'm just coming off a relationship that didn't really end well for me."

"So?" Dolph shrugged, wishing she'd look at him. "You were dating a shit heel."

"I dunno, Seth made a pretty _good_ heel," May muttered.

Dolph laughed. "I think you just gave part of the reason why I want to go out with you, there."

May looked up at him, head tipped slightly to one side. "You want to go out with me because Seth made a good heel?"

"No," Dolph said, laughing. "Because you were able to shoot that line right back to me. I said Seth was a shit heel and you shot back with a line about Seth being a good heel. I like that, May. You're quick with the lines."

"So, you want to go out with me because I'm a wise ass?"

"No, because you have a _fine_ ass," Dolph disagreed. "Although, that's not the only reason. You're sharp. You can hold your own in a battle of wits. You're fun to be around, when you're not trying to hold a dying relationship together."

"Was it that obvious?" May asked. Unable to stop herself, her gaze went over to Seth and Donna for a moment, then back to him.

"Yeah," Dolph said. "Especially when the rumors started flying that she was coming back." He didn't have to say Donna's name, they both knew exactly who he meant.

May bit her lip. "Is everyone laughing at me?" she asked. Her eyes were wide and round and she knew they were shinier than they usually were. "Shaking their heads behind my back and going,'Poor May, she thought they had something, but really, she was just a place for Seth to rest his dick'?"

For a moment, Dolph's jaw tightened, then he reached out and took her hand. The gesture was comforting and his hand was warm and dry. "No, May," he said, his voice uncharacteristically solemn. "Nobody thought that at all. Or, if they did, it wasn't meant to be vicious or pitying. You tried with Seth, you really did. A lot harder than he did." 

"But I didn't try so hard, " May admitted.

"Bullshit," Dolph was still holding her hand, "You tried harder than anyone expected you would. The way Roman was acting, I didn't think you'd make it a year, never mind two."

"Roman," May said, then paused.

"Yeah, Roman," Dolph said, his voice sour. "C'mon, May, you and Seth were dating, but if you two were ever at catering eating, Roman made this big point of not sitting with the both of you. But if Seth was alone, he'd join him. I mean, the only thing Roman could have done that was worse, was put a big old tat on his forehead that said, 'May Devany will never be Donna and therefore, she sucks.'"

"He has a point," May said. "I never will be Donna. I'll never be as popular with the fans as she is."

"Pfft," Dolph's snort was so dismissive that May couldn't help but giggle. "You do just fine with the fans. The kids love you."

"Great, so I can be the female John Cena." May rolled her eyes, but she didn't look as if that idea made her all that unhappy.

"Nah, you're saved from that fate," Dolph said, giving her an impish grin. "The kids might love you, and their Mom's might approve of you, but Daddy still wants to tap dat ass."

At this, May burst out laughing, unable to stop herself. "Yeah, right!" she said, when her laughter had died out.

"Well," Dolph said, tipping his head to one side, as if contemplating this. "I'm not a Daddy, at least not that I know of, but _I_ sure wouldn't mind tappin' dat ass."

At that, May found her laughter again, and this time it was louder. Not so loud that she called attention to herself, but loud enough that anyone looking in their direction would have thought Dolph had said something much funnier than he had. "Nothing like making your intentions obvious!"

Dolph spread out his hands in a clear, "What can I say?" gesture, grinning that smile that made people gravitate towards him. A smile that could look warm or snarky, depending on how he wanted you to think. "I might as well be up front, right?"

"You get points for honesty," May shot back, then frowned.

"I don't like that frown," Dolph said. "It makes me wonder if you're seriously thinking of not going out with me tonight."

"I-I," May stammered, then paused, drew in a deep breath, and collected her thoughts. "Seth was the first, uhm, serious relationship I ever had," she admitted.

"Yeah, I hear he was your first for a lot of things," Dolph countered, his voice a little too casual.

May looked surprised for a moment, then sighed. "Alicia has a big mouth," she muttered. She took the sandwich she had been eating and popped the rest of it in her mouth, buying herself more time to think, with chewing and swallowing, then took a sip of her water. "Look, I know I'm an adult, but I lead a pretty sheltered life," she admitted. "Until I was fifteen it was gymnastics and martial arts. Then, it was Empire State Wrestling and martial arts. Then, it was NXT. I didn't have that normal teenage girlhood where I dated different guys, did some fooling around, then went to college where I did more fooling around. Even in the summers, it was gymnastics camp, then it was working full time at ESW."

"And this has, _what_ to do with our going out tonight?" Dolph asked, not unkindly.

"I-I don't know if I'm ready for another relationship," May admitted. "I mean, I'm barely off of this one."

"Doesn't look like he's wasting any time," Dolph pointed out, motioning his head in the direction of Seth and Donna, while not looking at them. "May, I'm not asking you to marry me, I'm asking you out to IHOP. I'll have an omelet, you can order something off the kid's menu," he broke into a grin at her mock glare at him. "We can have some burnt coffee, a few laughs, and I'll bring you back to your hotel room."

"And then what?" May asked, deciding to ignore the kid's menu remark.

"And then, if I've been a very good boy and you approve, I might try to get a kiss good night," Dolph said. "May, we're adults, and I'm not an animal. I'm not going to push you further than you're willing to go. I might be the Show Off in the ring, but I know that when something is meant to be, time is irrelevant."

"You'll be the rebound guy," May murmured, looking partially lost in thought, her brow furrowing.

"Yeah?" Dolph shrugged. "What does that mean?"

"Everyone says the rebound guy is never the guy you end up with," May said. "Whenever you come down off a relationship, the next guy you date is the rebound guy, and it never works out."

"That's short-sighted of you," Dolph remarked, only the faintest trace of a grin.

"You!" May pointed his finger at him, shaking it in mock-disapproval. "I thought you said you were going to stop with the short jokes!"

"Only if you agreed to have dinner with me," Dolph reminded her. "And as of yet, you haven't agreed. So, what do you say? C'mon, May, I'm not asking to marry you, although I like your family enough that the idea of being part of it is a real selling point."

"You do?" May looked surprised and pleased. "They liked you too. My brothers and sisters still ask me about you."

"They have taste." Dolph selected another sandwich from the plate and chewed it down in one bite, for a moment his cheeks bulging like a chipmunk. "And see?" he said, when he had swallowed. "Your family approves of me already. Look, I'm not going to beg, Tiny Wrestler. I don't care who you dated before, I don't care what baggage you bring to the table from that relationship, we'll deal with that as needed. I just want to go to IHOP with you, have dinner and see what happens. I don't care that I'm the rebound man."

"My Dad was my mom's rebound man," May murmured softly. "She got pregnant with my older brother when she ran away from home. She came home and met my dad. He dated her while she was pregnant and they fell in love. And they're still together."

"So? Obviously, in your family, the rebound man isn't a rebound man, he's _the_ man," Dolph said. "That bodes well for us. So, how about it, May? You only live once, you need to take some risks."

May's gaze wandered over to Seth and Donna again for a moment, but only for a moment, then she looked back at Dolph. "Can I order the T-bone steak?" she asked, grinning broadly enough that the dimple on her left cheek showed. "Because I'm a girl with _expensive_ tastes."

Dolph pretended to think about this for a moment, then shrugged. "Normally, I'd say all you can do is order the ham steak, but seeing that it's you? The sky is the limit, baby."

May smiled. "Then, yes, I'll go out with you tonight, after the show."

They finished the plate of sandwiches, and their chips, and never once for the rest of the lunch, did May look in the direction of Seth and Donna. Not deliberately avoiding them, just for that time, forgetting either of them were even in catering.

End of Part One


	2. Chapter 2

**May is my original character. Any resemblance to her and any persons living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

 **The Shortest Distance**

 _Part II_

It was 10:30 when he and May were leaving the arena together. Dolph was still wearing his "business casual" outfit, consisting of a suit with a t-shirt under it. May, apparently, had brought other clothes with her, and was wearing a red silk blouse and a pair of tight "skinny" jeans, with a pair of boots over them, that added about three inches to her height. As they headed to his rental car, Dolph lingered behind for just a moment and decided he liked those jeans just fine. They did all the things that guys hoped jeans would do for a woman and then some.

"Is something wrong?" May asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Nothing at all," Dolph said cheerfully. "I was just admiring the view."

"My ass?" May asked, giving him a cheeky grin.

"It's a fine ass," Dolph said, solemnly, as they arrived at his rental car, a fully loaded SUV.

"All those years of gymnastics and martial arts paid off then," May remarked, then looked at the vehicle. "Ooh, nice, welcome to the big time."

"Nothing but the best for you," Dolph remarked as he hit the button to unlock the door, then reached over May to open the passenger door. "Madam, your chariot awaits you." She laughed as she climbed into the vehicle and reached for the seat belt. Dolph shut the door for her, and walked around to the drivers side and got it.

The all night IHOP was typical of the chain, in that they had a main dining room, and another room at the end of that one, designed for private affairs of large parties, or to handle the overflow on busy times. Although the place was quiet right now, Dolph asked the hostess if they could be sat in the overflow room. To give her credit, she only looked around the main dining room, that was barely a third full of customers, before she shrugged, remembered that the customer was always right and sat them in the back. "Normally this area is closed," she said, as she handed them the oversized menus that were glittering off the lighting in their laminated coatings. "But, I'll get you a server." She turned and left them before either of them could comment.

"It's a slow night," May remarked, looking at her menu.

"Yeah, I gathered that," Dolph said, looking through the glass walls that separated the two dining areas.

"They weren't busier earlier either," May elaborated.

"How can you tell that?" Dolph asked, turning to look at her, curious on how she could conclude that so easily.

"The menus are very clean and slightly damp," May said, waving hers. "Usually wiping menus is something that is supposed to be every night, but on busy nights, it's just a lick and a swipe. They really washed them tonight."

Dolph chuckled. "Did you waitress at one of these places?"

May shook her head. "Not me, but my sister Shelly did."

"The fashion designer?" Dolph asked, his brows raising.

May grinned. "Yeah, that's the one. You remember that?"

Dolph grinned back. "Yeah, I met her the last time we all went to dinner at your parent's place. We talked for a bit. I thought she had done fashion designing since she was a kid."

"She designed stuff since she was a kid," May said, looking more than pleased that Dolph remembered one of her sisters. With there being thirteen kids in the Parker family, it was often hard for people to keep track of who was who. Seth used to mix up Shelly and Stacy all the time, at least their names, and he wasn't the first person to do it. "But she went through a stage where no one could tell her anything. She dropped out of school and my parents were going, 'okay, you want to do that? We can't stop you, but if you want to live in the house, you will get a full time job.' She worked at an IHOP for almost a year, then realized that she was stupid. She went to night school because she wanted a real diploma, not a GED, and then went to college and got a job working for Worthington Designs."

"Really?" Dolph had his menu open, but he wasn't looking at it, he was looking at May, his mouth slightly open in surprised. "Wow, when I met her, she seemed so together, like she had always wanted to be a fashion designer."

May laughed. "Yeah, she's good at that, isn't she? Nah, she was a rebel child. Not as bad as Brian, that's the kid that's been arrested for defacing public property." When she saw Dolph's look of disbelief, she laughed again. "Yeah, Brian is the artist of the family. He gets that from our grandmother. But he loves that whole street art thing, graffiti art. So, yes, he's been busted a few times, expressing his artistic creativity. He has a habit of using areas under bridges for his canvas."

"Your whole family is creative," Dolph remarked.

May nodded. "In our own ways, yeah, we are. I mean, my Grandmother illustrates kid's books for my Great Aunt, Grandpa's sister, my mother wanted to be a singer, my father is a photographer, it's like all this creative juice flows through our veins."

Dolph was just opening his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted, by a gasping shriek, further punctuated by a woman who looked to be in her late teens, early twenties at the most, wearing the IHOP uniform, rushing over to the table.

"Oh my god!" the woman said, her voice loud enough that it surely must have carried into the main dining room. "You-you're Dolph Ziggler!"

Dolph knew the drill, and while he had hoped this wouldn't happen tonight, he also had known that it very well _could_ happen at any time. He smiled pleasantly at the woman. "Why, yes, I am," he said, in a voice that he hoped was friendly, but not encouraging. But, he soon had the impression he could have looked at her with fire in his eyes, grown devil's horns and put a curse on her, and this woman, who's name tag identified her as "Amie," would have not cared one iota.

" _Oh my god!"_ she said again, her voice only a few decibels lower than it had been the first time she said it, even though she had been further away. "I can't _believe_ it! Carrie told me I had a good looking guy who requested the back, and I was wondering why, but now I can see, because it's you! _Dolph Ziggler!_ At _IHOP!"_

"Yes," Dolph nodded, that pleasant smile plastered on his face, as if someone had created a perfect Dolph mask and glued it to his face. "It's me. And this is May Devany." He motioned to May, who had a similar smile on her face as she turned to the waitress.

"Hi," May said, offering her hand.

But Amie didn't even look in May's direction, and thus never saw the hand, nor even heard the greeting, because she was too fixed on Dolph. "Oh my god!" she said for a third time in less than a minute. "Dolph Ziggler! _Dolphy!_ At my IHOP!"

Dolph looked over at May, expecting her to be staring daggers at Amie's rudeness, but May had moved back in the booth, looking forward, but away from Dolph, as if she was suddenly unable to meet his eyes. Her hand was up, slightly covering her mouth, and her eyes were wide.

"I wanted to go to the show, so _badly_ tonight!" Amie continued. "I asked _everyone_ to take my shift, but no one would do it! God, I was so _pissed!_ My boyfriend is that the show, but I'd dump him in a hot minute for you!" Without being asked, she plopped herself in the booth next to May, who looked over at her, still wide eyed, still with her hand over her mouth. "I'm _so_ jealous! I would have called out tonight, but no, since I told him I had to work, he gave his _brother_ my ticket, I was so mad, but God was looking out for me, because he brought you to _my_ IHOP! You're here, in a _booth!_ In _my_ IHOP!"

"Yes," Dolph said, still smiling, but the corners had slipped slightly, and he kept looking over at May, convinced that she was hiding fury behind that hand that hid her mouth from view. "And we're hungry," he said, hoping Amie would take the hint. "Both of us, like me and _May_ , over here," he pointed to May, who's eyes went even wider, but she never moved the hand from her mouth.

But Amie was made of stronger stuff than most and she totally ignored his words, instead continued with a stream of consciousness babble. "Oh my God, you are the most _handsome_ wrestler. My sister, _she_ likes Roman Reigns, but I told her Roman ain't got nothing on the Show Off! You are the _total_ package! Roman Reigns has a big old ass, but not you, your ass is _perfect_ , it's so _fine,_ I just wish I could grab onto it and-"

It was nothing Dolph hadn't heard before from enthusiastic fans, but it wasn't what he wanted tonight, with May. If he was honest with himself, he had wanted to ask May out ages ago, wanted to ask her out when she was still dating Seth Rollins, but he had waited patiently, being her friend through the break up, and finally deciding that if Seth could go on, as he had, it was time to try to let May move on. He had picked going to IHOP, figuring it would be casual and easy for both of them, totally forgetting that places like IHOP were often when fans of the WWE worked or congregated. He had thought that requesting the back dining area would be enough. Clearly, he had been wrong. "Can we get-"

"I _loved_ you in that movie!" Amie continued, not seeming to care that Dolph could talk. This was her shinning moment, she was meeting her favorite Superstar, something she had dreamed of many a night, and _nothing_ was going to spoil it, this was _all_ about her. "I know, people said it was terrible, but I _loved_ it! You played that guy, remember! Oh my _god_ , and there was that other guy! And that girl! And you did that stuff!"

"Yes, I remember," Dolph said, trying to interrupt her.

"I have the DVD of that movie, _plus_ I bought it from On Demand," Amie continued, unabated. "So, it's on my TV, but I can take it anywhere. I _love_ that movie! You were so _good_ in it! _God_ , do you remember that? You played that guy-"

"Yes," Dolph said, his voice a little louder. May had turned herself slightly so she was faced away from Amie and from him, and her shoulders were shaking. _Is she that angry?_ He wondered _, is she mad or crying? Shit, this is going down the tubes fast, how do I get rid of this chick without making a scene?_ "I remember it well, after all, I was in it," he gave a false chuckle, "But, anyway, we'd-"

"-and you were _so_ good!" Amie continued to babble as if Dolph had said nothing. "And you're my favorite wrestler _ever!_ You're so much better than anyone else, seriously! I don't know why _you_ aren't the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, you're so much better than anyone else! I mean, my boyfriend loved it when Seth Rollins was the champion, but he was _so_ lame! _You_ would have rocked that _whole_ thing!"

Dolph looked around, occasionally glancing at May, who had turned, but now was looking down at the table, several of the small braids she wore as a hairstyle, falling down into her face, the tiny beads on the ends of them, clinking on the table. While her shoulders were no longer shaking, but they did appear to twitch once in awhile. Dolph realized his mistake in picking the overflow dining room on the one hand, customers weren't as likely to discover them, but on the other hand, none of the staff seemed to be around to reign Amie in. Still, he twisted around occasionally, trying to see if he could spot someone who looked like they might work there, and catch their attention. "Uh, Amie-"

"Oh my _god_ , you know my _name!"_ Amie shrieked, which made May's shoulders do a tremendous jerk, and hurt Dolph's ears. "I can't believe it! How did you-" She paused for less than a second, and then laughed. "Oh, that's right, the name tag!" She tugged on the tag, looking down at it for a brief second as if she needed to confirm that indeed it did have her name on it. "Oh god, for a moment, I thought we were _soul mates_ or something and my name just-just _popped_ into your head. Wouldn't that have been so _cool?"_

"It would have been _something,_ " Dolph said, "Uh, listen-"

"Wait until I tell my _sister_ I met you!" Amie continued. "She is going to piss _purple_ for weeks! Oh my _god,_ I am waiting on _Dolph Ziggler!_ I can't _believe_ it! _Dolph_ _y_ _Ziggler!"_

"Well, I wouldn't say you were _waiting_ on us," Dolph found himself saying, before he could stop himself. The powers that be were firm on how WWE Superstars were supposed to treat fans, even the truly obnoxious ones, and that was with unfailing politeness. Worse for Dolph, he was a face right now, so he was under double the pressure to always be a nice guy.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Dolph wasn't quite sure which, Amie was beyond listening. She was so caught up in this moment, and obviously, when caught in the moment, Amie loved the sound of her own voice. "Oh my _god_ , listen to me _babble!"_ Amie said, "It's like I'm _meeting_ you and all I can do is talk about me! I should let you talk about you!"

"Yeah, well, we'd-"

"I'm sure you have _lots_ of interesting things you could tell me all about!" Amie continued, as if Dolph hadn't even tried to interrupt. "And I'd _love_ to hear the stories you'd tell! About _all_ the guys in the locker room, what they're like, and I'll bet none of them are as interesting as you! You are like the best wrestler ever to be in the WWE! Do you have any stories about Roman Reigns? My sister _loves_ Roman, but I don't think he's nearly as sexy as you! I mean he has that big old ass of his while yours is so perfect-"

Again, Dolph flashed a look over to May, who was still staring at the table, refusing to look at him. _She's pissed,_ Dolph thought, and found he couldn't blame her. Yes, as WWE Stars, they often had situations with overly enthusiastic fans, and Dolph had even met a few that were worse than Amie, but not by much. And the worst thing about Amie was that she wouldn't shut up. She was at the point where she was repeating herself, and Dolph had this awful feeling that she wouldn't shut up unless someone stopped her or she passed out. _Man, I never thought I'd find myself hoping someone had a seizure, but I'm so close._ His gaze went back over to May, still seeing only the top of her head. Oddly, even though he was upset, he noticed that in the light from the overhanging lamp, May's hair in its tight tiny braids, was so black it looked almost blue. _Her hair is shiny,_ he thought, _Now, that's random._

If May hadn't been with him, or if he and May had been dating for awhile, and he had felt she knew him a little better, he might have been able to handle Amie another way, by flirting, just a bit. Nothing too forward, it was never good to flirt heavily with fans, but enough so that he could have caught the woman off guard to at least have gotten her off to get them some _coffee_ , then once she was gone, get the manager and ask for another waitress. He had done that type of thing before. But Amie was so gone and he still wasn't sure where he stood with May, he didn't dare risk it. Obviously, by the way May kept avoiding looking at him, and the way her shoulders occasionally jerked, she was already angry at Amie's forward attitude, and he didn't blame her at all, although he did wonder if she was unfairly angry at _him._ _I didn't ask Amie to slobber all over me!_

"-and that was when I knew that you were _my_ boo, the superstar that if I could have any superstar, it would be you!" Amie finished off, after a long speech, of which he had not paid any attention he'd been lost in his own thoughts. She paused briefly, but Dolph took his chance.

"Amie, I'd love to chat with you all night, but my friend and I are _really_ hungry and thirsty, would you mind getting us some coffee at least?"

"Oh!" Amie shrieked as if someone had jabbed a fork in her rear end and jumped to her feet. "Look at me! Babbling non stop, when I'm supposed to be waiting on you! What would you like to drink? I mean, the least I can do is get you a drink, right? I mean, you were performing tonight, I'll bet, and you're probably _really_ thirsty, I'll bet you'd love a beer, but we don't serve beer-"

" _Coffee!"_ Dolph said, a little too loudly and forcefully than he intended, but the situation wasn't just spiraling out of control, it had already spiraled itself right into a straight line of out-of-control. "We want coffee!" He looked over at May, who now had her arms resting on the table, her head buried in them, shoulders shaking and Dolph weirdly thought she might actually be crying. "May? Is coffee okay?"

May still refused to look up, but she did gasp out, "D-d-diet S-s-soda!"

"Coffee and a diet soda," Dolph said quickly. "And Amie, as I said, we are _really_ thirsty, so if you could just go and get our drinks."

"Oh, you bet I will!" Amie trilled happily. "I'll be right back, Dolphy. I swear, you'll barely know I was gone, I'll be back so fast!"

"No, please, take your time!" Dolph insisted.

"Aw, Dolphy, you are just _too_ sweet!" Amie gushed. "Just _wait_ until I tell my sister! I'll bet Roman isn't as nice as you are! You are not only sexy, gorgeous, and the best wrestler in the WWE, but you're _kind_ too!"

"I-I try," Dolph said, barely managing to plaster his public smile on his face again. "But if you don't mind?"

It still took Amie almost another two minutes of babbling before she finally left to get the drinks. By this point, Dolph was certain that May was upset and angry at him, and he had no clue what to do about it, because it really wasn't his fault that Amie was almost a cliche of the nightmare fangirl. He certainly didn't _want_ this to happen. "May, look at me, will you? I'm so sorry." 

May's head lifted from her arms and he could see her eyes were wet with tears and shinning and her nostrils were flared. For a moment, he thought she was in some strange state between being furious and hysterically upset, then a strangled sound escaped from her throat and he realized she was-

"Laughing?" he asked, bewildered.

The word seemed to shake something lose in May and she started laughing out loud, not a snorting laugh, but a gasping one, the laughter of someone who has been trying to keep it muffled for too long and now that she's able to, can't get it out fast enough. "D-D-D," she stuttered, " _Dolphy!"_ she finally managed to say, then buried her head in her arms, little gasps and snorts escaping from her, and she stomped her foot on the floor. "Oh! My! _God_ , she called you _Dolphy!"_

He sat there, dumbstruck for a good twenty seconds, as he realized that the hiding her face, the shoulder shaking, they weren't signs of rage, but her trying not to let Amie and him know she was trying not to laugh, and that if she'd caught his eyes, they both probably would have burst out laughing together. And Dolph realize that even though she found Amie ridiculous and as over-the-top as he did, she wouldn't laugh in the woman's face. He wasn't sure how he should react to this, then another snort of laughter came from her and unable to stop himself, he chuckled, then burst into laughter himself. The two of them laughed for almost a minute, stopped, looked at each other, then started laughing again.

It wasn't Amie who returned with their drinks, it was the manager. Apparently, Amie had made such a fuss in the kitchen about "Dolphy" Ziggler being there, that the manager, a middle aged gentleman who went by the name of Peter, decided that perhaps Amie wasn't the best person to be their server, and seeing that Mr. Ziggler and Ms. Devany were special guests, that Peter himself should personally wait on them. Peter, of course, was not a wrestling fan, but his ten year old daughter was, and very fond of both of them. Looking only a bit nervous, he suggested that maybe, if it wasn't too much trouble, the two of them would consent to an autograph? For his daughter, of course.

May had nodded and grabbed the keys to the rental car, which Dolph had put on the table when they sat. Before he could stop her, she ran to the car, and returned with T-shirts and clothing markers. The WWE always made sure the talent had T-shirts and pictures to give away in certain situation. While it was true, the WWE would much rather _sell_ shirts than give them away, they also knew that sometimes a superstar giving away a shirt, especially a signed one, could spread a lot of good will that would often be returned ten fold, with the purchase of additional items and tickets to shows.

"We'll be happy to each sign a shirt for your daughter," May said, as she sat back at the table. "Under one condition."

"Anything you want," Peter said. "Name it."

"That you give one of Dolph's shirts, signed by him, to Amie, when we leave."

"All right," Peter said.

Dolph shot her a look that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation, but he signed the two shirts she had brought in, using the black laundry marker she offered. Since May's t-shirt was primarily black, she had a white laundry marker, which she carefully wrote out a message to Peter's daughter, confirming the spelling, then signed it with her usual flourish.

Once the shirts were signed, and Peter had accepted them, promising he would give Amie the Dolph shirt, they were informed that their entire meal was on the house.

"That was nice of you to think of Amie," Dolph remarked as they were leaving the restaurant. "A lot of girls would have been pretty upset about the way she was acting."

May laughed. "Yeah, she was totally over the top," she admitted. "But you know, she pays our salary, it's fans like her that keep the product going. And I saw her a few times staring in at us while we were eating, and I could tell she was heartbroken about being told not to bother us anymore, so I felt she deserved something." 

"You're a nice person," Dolph remarked.

"I can understand where she's coming from," May admitted. "The first time I met 'Taker, I was a kid, my grandfather got us backstage passes and I was so nervous and excited and I was just a kid. I couldn't even talk, all I could do was stare at him and say, 'Phe-nom!' over and over again, like a broken record. But I was so nervous, I was afraid I was going to puke on him."

Dolph laughed. "That would have made an impression."

"Yeah, but I doubt one that would have _impressed_ him." May shrugged.

"Amie wasn't exactly a little kid," Dolph pointed out.

"True, but this might be the first time she's met a celebrity," May countered. "She got carried away, it happens. At least with the shirt, she can prove to her friends that she met us tonight."

"True." 

They were paused on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant and there were speakers fixed on the building, playing the same mid-to-late last century music that was playing inside the restaurant too. A song had just ended, and a single piano line started the next one. "Oh!" May gasped.

"What?" He looked at her, concerned.

"This song!" May said, her gaze suddenly soft as the song began, her eyes seeing a memory rather than the present.

"Do you know it?" Dolph asked. It was one of those late '70s, early '80s ballad songs, Dolph knew he'd heard it before, probably from one of the soft rock radio stations his mother had listened to while he was growing up, but he wasn't sure of the name.

"Yes," May said, eyes half closed as she listened. "It's Dr. Hook, _Years From Now._ "

"Wow, you have a lot of knowledge of older stuff," he remarked, smiling.

"This song especially," she admitted. "It's my parents song." She grinned. "When my mom came back to New York from Nashville, she joined this lounge band, they used to sing at a hotel bar. Nothing wild, mostly ballads. My father was meeting someone at the hotel and he heard my mother singing this song."

"And the rest is history?"

May laughed. "Thirteen kids later and the rest is history. Often, my dad or mom would play this and the two of them would dance in the living room. We kids would watch them. Yeah, we made fun of them, kids do that, but there was also something so sweet and romantic about it, too." She moved closer to him. "Dance with me."

"What?" He shook his head, not quite believing what she was saying. "Dance with you? In the parking lot of _IHOP?_ "

"Yeah." She was so close to him now, that she had to tip her head far back to look into his face. "Unless you're _afraid_ or something."

He knew a challenge when he heard it, so he put his arm around her shoulder. The song had a distinctive waltz rhythm to it, so he raised her opposite hand. He was not the least bit surprised when she moved closer, putting her arm around his shoulder, and the two of them were able to waltz on the sidewalk. _This should be the cheesiest moment of my life,_ he thought, as they danced _, but there is something about this woman that says it's not just okay to do this, that it's the only_ _ **right**_ _thing to do._

It was a three minute song, and since they didn't start at the same time the music had, they were dancing only a little bit over a minute when the song faded out and they drew apart. A noise came from inside the restaurant and they looked up to see what appeared to be the entire restaurant staff and the few customers, pressed to the window, watching them, several of them with their cell phones out. "We are going to be _all_ over Twitter and Facebook," Dolph remarked.

"Yep," May said, smiling. She did a flourishing mock curtsey for the folks watching. "Does that bother you?"

For a moment, Dolph pictured the ribbing he would get from the guys in the locker room, and from the Divas too. And his parents, his brother, and hell, anyone and everyone else who knew him. He'd never heard the end of it, laughing about Dolph Ziggler, big time superstar, dancing a waltz in the parking lot of an IHOP. This would be a story designed to embarrass him for the rest of his life and he knew it. He looked down at her. "No," he said softly, "Not at all." Then his grin brightened and he took a page from May's book and gave the people inside a deep bow.

They could hear the clapping and shouting, even through the thick paned glass, as they got into the car.

"Well, I have something to cross off my bucket list," Dolph remarked as the two of them walked to the door of May's hotel room.

"Dancing in the parking lot of IHOP was on your bucket list?" May teased as she reached in her pocket for her room key.

"Well, no," Dolph admitted, "But it _should_ have been, so I'll put it on my bucket list and then check it off."

She laughed, then grew serious as she held up the key. "Thank you. Most guys would have never dreamed of doing that. Too sappy."

 _By most guys, you mean Seth Rollins_ , Dolph thought, but wisely did not say. "I'm not most guys."

"And for that I'm grateful," May said, and then she stepped closer, wrapped her arms around him and rose on tiptoes. Dolph leaned over, and easily and naturally, their lips met.

It was a sweet kiss, by modern standards, it could even be called chaste, but there was some heat behind it, and both of them could feel it. _Part of me wants to ask you to let me come into your room,_ Dolph thought. _But, I don't think you're ready for that, May. But someday..._

When their kiss, he kissed her on her forehead before they drew apart. "I really hope we can do this again," he said.

"Go to IHOP for dinner?" she asked, her cheeks a high pink color, her eyes shinning.

"Well, if that's what you want, sure," he said, shrugging.

"Yeah, I like IHOP," May said. "But, I wouldn't mind if we didn't have Amie for a waitress.

Dolph chuckled. "Okay, we'll make sure not to sit in Amie's section, that is if we ever go to that IHOP again." He took the room key from her hand and slid it into the door. When the light turned green, he reached over her and unlatched the door, pushing it open. "You're safe and sound. Sleep well, May."

"You too," May said, a smile playing around her lips. She turned and walked into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Dolph stood outside the door for a moment, staring at it, as if part of him expected her to open it again, but he knew that was foolish. Tonight was just the first step, but he had a feeling if things continued to go half as well, he wouldn't be on this side of her hotel door much longer. Finally, he turned and headed to his own room.

Two doors down, he passed the room he had seen Seth going into when they all were checking in before the show. On the door handle was the plastic "Do Not Disturb" sign. A smile played across his lips and Dolph walked up to the door and pounded on it, loudly. "Hey Seth!" He called out, his voice carrying down the hall, certain that May could hear him. "I just want to thank you for being a douche bag!"

Then, he flipped the _Do Not Disturb_ sign around so it now said, _Please Make Up This Room_ and whistling, he headed down the hall to his own room.

The End.


End file.
